Filament spinning apparatus



Ja n. 2, 1968 H. FASSBENDER 1 FILAMENT SPINNING APPARATUS Filed April 12, 1966 FIG! l N VENTOR HERBERT FASSBENDER ATT'YS United States Patent C) 3,361,860 FILAMENT SPINNENG APPARATUS Herbert Fassbender, Eensberg-Refrath, Germany, asslgnor to Glanzstofi Koln GmhH, Cologne-Weidenpesch, Germany Fiied Apr. 12, 1966, Ser. No. 542,049

Claims priority, appiication Germany, May 3, 1965,

4 Claims. (Cl. 264-488) ABSTRACT F THE DISCLQFaURE Filament spinning nozzle having a spinning plate mounted in said nozzle and extending across the downstream end of its passage, ring gaskets on opposite sides of the peripheral portions of said plate, ring means compressing said gaskets against said peripheral port ons, said spinning plate having a first group of spinning orifices in a central zone of said plate and a second group of spinning orifices surrounding said first group with an annular, imperforate segment therebetween, an annular segment of said plate surrounding said second group of orifices, and said ring gaskets being compressed by said ring means against either said last-mentioned segment, whereby spinning fluid may be spun through the orifices of both of said groups, or said last-mentioned segment and said second group of orifices, whereby spinning fluid may be spun only through the orifices of said center zone; and methods of viscose spinning utilizing such nozzles by changing the gaskets and ring means to change the number of spun filaments.

This invention relates to improvements in apparatus and methods for spinning synthetic filaments, particularly viscose filaments, and more particularly to improvements in the spinning orifice-containing member and spinning nozzles associated therewith.

In order to utilize substantially full output capacity of viscose spinning machines, filaments of various deniers are spun through nozzle plates with diiierent total numbers of spinning orifices. For fine deniers, spinning plates having large numbers of spinning orifices are employed while, for coarse denier filaments, spinning plates with relatively smaller numbers of orifices are used. This makes necessary the readying of a number of complete sets of spinning plates of difiering orifice numbers, which, with the great number of spinning units in operation in the production system, brings about a considerable technical and economic expenditure in manufacture or purchase of a plurality of spinning plates.

This expenditure is further increased in the production of viscose filaments such as have been developed in recent time and which, as compared to the normal types, have to be spun at a much reduced speed. According to the spinning velocities required for the various fiber types it is necessary in such cases to put in different nozzle hole numbers even for like deniers if the available production capacity is to be fully utilized and the type program is not to be limited. Hitherto, this has been possible only when the assortment of the usable nozzles is further differentiated, that is, when the stock of nozzles is increased.

This invention relates to improvements wherein it is possible to spin a differing number of filaments from one and the same spinning plate if, for the reduction of the number of filaments, a part of the spinning orifices are covered in a suitable manner and thus closed against emergence of the spinning fluid. According to the invention this is accomplished with the aid of a spinning plate bored according to a special scheme, various orifice zones of which are wholly or only in part uncovered through use of different spinning nozzle components.

The invention will be further appreciated from the following description of a preferred embodiment, which is illustrated in the drawing, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a bottom plan view of the improved spinning plate having spinning orifices arranged in two concentric zones;

FIG. 2 is a section view taken on diametric section 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a diametric section of a spinning nozzle in which said spinning plate is mounted and wherein only the orifices of the center zone allow emergence of spun filaments; and

FIG. 4 is a diametric section of another spinning nozzle in which the same spinning plate is mounted but wherein the orifices of both orifice zones allow emergence of the spinning fluid.

Referring to the drawing, the spinning plate It] comprises a corrosion-resistant metal disc plate 11 with a peripheral flange or rim 12 at substantially normal angle thereto. The disc plate 11 is divided into several zones comprising:

(a) a generally circular center zone 13 composed of pie-shaped sections 14 of precision-drilled spinning orifices 15 separated by an imperforate or solid hub segment 16 and imperforate or solid alleys or channels 17 extending radially from hub segment 16;

(b) a concentric, imperforate or solid, ring zone 18 surrounding said center Zone;

(0) a further concentric ring zone 19 composed of additional, precision-drilled spinning orifices 15 surrounding ring zone 18 and preferably composed of arc segment sub-zones 2% of said orifices interrupted by imperforate or solid alleys or channels 8 aligned with respective alleys or channels 17 of center zone 13; and

(d) a still further, solid or irnperforate, marginal ring zone 9 surrounding ring zone 19.

The solid or imperforate alleys or channels 17 and 8 are particularly advantageous for spinning nozzles which are submerged in a spinning bath, e.g., an acidic, viscose spinning bath for regeneration of cellulose Xanthate spun filaments. The alleys or channels facilitate circulation of the spinning bath across and near the face of nozzle plate 10 to provide relatively uniform contact between the bath and the spun filaments emerging from all orifices in zone 13.

When only zone 13 is to be active, i.e., filaments are to be spun only from the orifices of center zone 13, the spinning plate 10 is mounted in a spinning nozzle head of the type illustrated in FIG. 3. The nozzle head 21 comprises a hollow, cylindrical body 22 provided with a screw-threaded inner wall 23. The screw threads are used to mount head 21 on a screw-threaded end of a tube or the like (not shown) which supplies spinning fluid to the nozzle 21.

The body 22 has, axially forward of inner wall 23, a second inner wall 24 having screw threads of a diameter slightly smaller than the diameter of screw threads 23. The third, cylindrical inner wall 26, axially forward of inner wall 24, forms with the fiat, rear face 25 of the radially-inwardly-directed, tapered ring flange or lip 27 the nozzle plate-supporting segment at the forward end of nozzle 21.

The rim 12 of nozzle plate 10 fits reasonably snugly to inner wall 26, and the peripheral portions of disc plate 11 have ring gaskets 28 and 29 on opposite sides thereof. The gaskets are compressed to eflect a fluid-tight seal by threading ring 30 on the screw threads of inner wall 24 until the ring lip 31 compresses the ring gaskets 28 and 29 between it and the rear face 25 of the lip 27. Sockets 32 in the rear face of ring 30 are provided for receiving studs ,of a tool (not shown) for turning the ring 30.

In FIG. 3, the lip 27, the ring gaskets 28 and 29 and the ring lip 31 are dimensioned so that ring gaskets cover and seal E the orifices 15 of ring segment 19, rendering them inactive for spinning. On the other hand, the spinning nozzle 21' of FIG. 4, which is of like structure to that of FIG. 3 except for sizes of certain parts, mounts the spinning plate in a manner whereby the spinning orifices of ring zone 19 are not covered. Thus, the nozzle 21 of FIG. 3 is used when spinning is to be done from a smaller number of orifices (orifices of center zone 13 only) and nozzle 21' of FIG. 4 is used when spinning is to be done from a larger number of orifices (orifices 15 in both center zone 13 and ring zone 19).

The spinning nozzle 21 of FIG. 4 uses like reference numerals to designate like parts to those of FIG. 3. The reference numerals in FIG. 4 having a prime therewith designate parts of generally like structure and functionto corresponding parts with non-primed numerals in FIG. 3, the essential difference being the smaller inside diameters of tapered lip or flange 27', ring gaskets 28 and 29', ring 30 and its lip 31'.

Thus, the invention provides filament spinning nozzles comprising a hollow spinning head 22 having a spinning fluid passage 33 therethrough. A spinning plate 11 is mounted in the spinning nozzle and extends across the downstream end of the passage 33. Ring gaskets 28 and 29 or 28' or 29' are provided on opposite sides of the peripheral portions of the plate 11. The ring-shaped faces or 25 of the flanges 27 or 27', respectively, provide ring means compressing said ring gaskets against the peripheral portions of the plate 11. The aforesaid ring means preferably comprises the ring flange 27 or 27 at the downstream end of the spinning nozzle, the ring face 25 or 25' of which supports one of the ring gaskets, and a gasketcompression ring or 30' threaded in the threaded wall 24 of the passage 33 and having a ringshaped rib 31 or 31' pressing against the other of the ring gaskets.

The spinning plate 11 has a first group of spinning orifices in the central zone 13 of the plate 11 and a second group of spinning orifices 15 in a circular zone 19 surrounding said central zone with an annular imperforate segment 18 therebetween. The spinningplate 11 also has an annular segment 9 surrounding said second group of orifices 15.

It is thought that the invention and its numerous attendant advantages will be fully understood from the'foregoing description, and it is obvious that numerous changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the several parts without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention, or sacrificing any of its attendant advantages, the form herein disclosed being a preferred said plate, ring means compressing said gaskets against said peripheral portions, said spinning plate having a first group of spinning orifices in a central zone of said plate and a second group of spinning orifices surrounding said first group with an annular, imperforate segment therebetween, an annular segment of said plate surrounding said second group of orifices, and said ring gaskets being compressed by said ring means against said last-mentioned segment and said second group of orifices, whereby spinning fluid may be spun only through said first group of orifices of said central zone and further whereby spinning fluid may be spun through the orifices of both of said groups when said spinning plate is mounted in said nozzle by another set of larger diameter ring gaskets compressed against only said annular segment by larger diameter ring means.

2. A nozzle as claimed in claim 1, said ring means comprising a ring flange at the downstream end of said nozzle supporting one of said ring gaskets and a ring threaded in said passage of said nozzle with a ring-shaped rib pressing against the other of said ring gaskets.

3. In a method for improving output capacity of viscose spinning machines embodying a filament spinning nozzle comprising a hollow spinning head having a spin-.

ning fluid passage therethrough, a spinning plate mounted in said nozzle and extending across the downstream end of said passage, ring gaskets on opposite sides of the peripheral portions of said plate, ring means compressing said gaskets against said peripheral portions, said spinning plate having a first group of spinning orifices in a central zone of said plate and a second group of spinning orifices surrounding said first group with an annular, imperforate segment therebetween, an annular segment of said plate surrounding said second group of orifices, and said ring gaskets being compressed by said ring means against either said last-mentioned segment, whereby spinning fluid may be spun through the orifices of both of said groups, or said last-mentioned segment and said second group of orifices, whereby spinning fluid maybe spun only through the orifices of said center zone, the improvement which comprises providing as the ring gaskets and ring means on said spinning nozzle ring' gaskets and ring means of large enough opening diameters to compress between said gaskets only said last-mentioned segment whereby viscose spinning fluid may be spun into an acid bath through said orifices of both groups, changing the number of filaments spun through said spinning plate by changing on said nozzle the aforesaid ring gaskets and ring means to ones of small enough opening diameters to compress be tween said last-mentioned gaskets said last-mentioned segment and said second group of orifices, and thereafter spinning viscose spinning fluid into an acid bath only through said first group of orifices of said central zone.

4. In a method for improving output capacity of viscose spinning machines embodying a filament spinning nozzle comprising a hollow spinning head having a spinning fluid passage therethrough, a spinning plate mounted in said nozzle and extending across the downstream end of said passage, ring gaskets on opposite sides of the peripheral portions of said plate, ring means compressing said gaskets against said peripheral portions, said spinning plate having a first group of spinning orifices in a central zone of said plate and a second group of spinning orifices surrounding said first group with an annular, imperforate segment therebetween, an annular segment of said plate surrounding said second group of orifices, and said ring gaskets being compressed by said ring means against either said last-mentioned segment, whereby spinning fluid may be spun through the orifices of both of said groups, or said last-mentioned segment and said second group of orifices, whereby spinning fluid may be spun only through the orifices of said center zone, the improvement which comprises providing as the ring gaskets and 7 ring means on said spinning nozzle ring gaskets and ring means of small enough opening diameters to compress between said gaskets said last-mentioned segment and said second group of orifices whereby viscose spinning fluid may be spun into an acid bath through only said first group of orifices of said central zone, changing the number of filaments spun through said spinning plate by changing on said nozzle the ring gaskets and ring means to ones of large enough opening diameters to compress between 5 said last-mentioned gaskets only said last-mentioned seg- 2,843,875 ment, and thereafter spinning viscose spinning fluid into 2,910,725 an acid bath through said orifices of both groups. 3,104,419

References Cited 5 837,749 UNITED STATES PATENTS 876 135 2,703,433 3/1955 Holzmann 18-8 2,798,252 7/1957 Cummings 188 7/1958 Albohn et a1. 188 11/1959 Hildebrandt 188 9/1963 La Forge 18-8 FOREIGN PATENTS 5/1952 Germany. 1953 Germany.

WILLIAM J. STEPHENSON, Primary Examiner. 

